Writer: F Scott Fitzgerald
Adaptor: Deborah McAndrew
Director: Conrad Nelson
Storyhouse once again brings their summer productions out of the building, setting them in a purpose built, in-the-round space in Chester’s Grosvenor Park. It’s an idyllic spot, set under the trees and, thankfully, a blue sky. Audience members have brought impressive picnics, prosecco corks pop, and The Great Gatsby opens with some live 1920s jazz that gets everyone in the mood for a fun night out.
The Great Gatsby is though, and you’ll know this if you’ve read the book or seen the film, not all flapper girls and sax solos. It’s a dark and unsettling story, full of unhappy, unpleasant characters with secret pasts, people courting wealth recognition and not caring who they hurt in the process. It’s a tale of jealousy and yearning, of shallow and broken lives. You might not think this will work amongst the twinkling lights on a warm summer evening in the park, but it turns out to be the perfect setting as we are transported to Gatsby’s grand seaside mansion on Long Island.
Fitzgerald’s novel, written in the first person from the point of view of Nick Carraway, Gatsby’s newly arrived neighbour, offer the perfect format for theatrical storytelling. Thomas Cotran as Nick becomes narrator and central character in Deborah McAndrew’s new adaptation, and does it with a charming outsider’s naivety. His breaking of the fourth wall works well in this intimate setting, with the audience in full view, and there’s some gentle interaction in the first, lighter half of the play that works very well. As the sky gets darker, so does the play. The compelling scene in the hotel suite where truths start to get revealed is a real turning point, and as the stage lights come on (lighting design by Oliver Price), the audience fades into the shadows, giving the action a new level of intensity.
While there is a bit too much unnecessary clutter prop-wise, the minimal set works well, and – costume design (Adam Wiltshire) neatly places the action in 1920s New York. Gatsby is immaculately dressed in his pastel three-piece suits and two-tone brogues and Daniel Burke certainly wears it well.
McAndrew’s script and Conrad Nelson’s direction bring together just the right levels of drama and humour. Victoria Brazier and Jessica Jolleys as the Vaisey Twins are a delight, some pretty sharp dancing (Choreography by Lucy Rafton) and live music (Musical Direction by Rebekah Hughes) from the all-rounder talented cast also lightens the mood just enough to make the dramatic turns work so well. Daniel Burke’s cool and compassionless Jay Gatsby is completely compelling. Molly-Grace Cutler’s Daisy Buchanan seems to be constantly about to explode with rage, and Rosa Lennox’s calm and sensible Jordan Baker makes all the others seem even more messed up than they are.
While the outdoor space brings some lovely unexpected extras – the darkening sky, the real seagulls that fly over as Gatsby gazes out to sea – it also causes some sound problems. While all the performances are captioned, had the actors had radio mics it would have made for a better experience. Actors with their backs to the audience or speaking over the live music are sometimes hard to hear (the Vaisey Twins song is almost completely lost. Even when the cast don’t have to compete with outside noise – traffic, birds, church bells – having to deliver their lines loud enough means that some of the subtlety of the narrative is lost.
Storyhouse have cast two Trainee Actors in this production, drawn from their Young Company, a real commitment to developing new careers. They’ll learn lots working with this excellent cast in such an all-round successful production. Long may the rain clouds stay away.
Runs until 27 August 2023
The Reviews Hub Score
atmospheric, compelling
